Automatic railway-switch



(No Model.)

J. DELLER.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 605,599. Patented June 14,1898.

lllll \IIIH' IHIIV UNITE-D. STATES PATENT Onnrcs.

' JOSEPH DELLER, OF NAPOLEON, INDIANA.

, AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 605,599,. dated June14, I898. Application filed March 18, 1898- erial No. 674,296. (Nomodel.)

Switches; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, reference being had to theannexed drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention comprises a railway-switch which is capable of beingconveniently operated by a driver or motorman on a street-car as soon'ashe brings'a grab or trip into serv-.

ice. The trip is applied under a car-platform a suitable distance inadvance of the front wheels and is preferably operatedby the depressionof atreadle, which act causes the effective end of said trip to'enga'gewith a starter-plate atone-end of a main shaft, the

other end of said shaft being provided with a tread-plate that .isnormally horizontal and out of the way. This engagement of the trip withthe starter-plate is only momentarily but is sufficientto turn the mainshaft-a limited distance, and thereby swing the treadplate up to apositionwhere it will be struck by one of the front ear-wheels. Thecontact of the wheel with said plate then completes the turning of themain shaft, and thefmotion of the latter is by means ofbevel-gearstransmitted to acounter-shaft arranged longitudinally of the track andhaving a crank and connecting-rod, which devices throw the switch, ashereinafter more fully described. In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is aplan of a street-railway track provided with my switch-operatingmechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at the line .2 z of thepreceding with the'starter-plate. Fig 3 is a similar section, butshowing said trip in the actof turning said plate in the direction of anarrow thereon. Fig. 4 is a'vertical section showing the tread-plate inits normal position. Fig. 5 is a similar section,but showing said plateturned up to a verticaliposition and about to be struck by a car-wheel.lFi'g. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the connecting-rod thatcommunicates motion from the counter-shaft to the switch.

' AA represent grooved rails of a main track, and B B are the rails of abranch track or siding, an ordinary switch 0 being located at thejunction of the rails A Band being connected by a rod 0 with a crank oreccentric wrist-pin d at one end of a counter-shaft D, as more clearlyseen in Fig. 6. This shaft is journaled in suitable bearings, isarranged parallel with the rail A, and has keyed to it a bevel-gear E,that engages with a similar wheel F, fastened to the main shaft G, thelatter being disposed at a right angle to said rail or transversely ofthe track. Furthermore, this main shaft G has one of its ends journaledin the rail A, while its other end is journaled in .a short thirdrailI-I, arranged comparativelynear said rail A and parallel therewith.Rail H is grooved longitudinally ou its upper surface, as at h, and oneend of this groove communicates with a mortise h of said rail, astarter-plate I being housed within said mortise; This starter-plateissecured to the main shaft G and has a notch z' at one corner and asimilar notch t" at its diclosed until'intentionally opened by acardriver or motorman.

a is a vertical mortise in the rail A to admit a tread-plate M, securedto the main shaft G,'. the diagonally opposite corners of said platebeing rounded off, as shown in Figs. 4: and 5; illustration,thetrip'being about to engage 1 N is a' ratchet-wheel fastened to thecounter-shaft Gr,and n isa pawl so engaged with said wheel as to preventretrograde "turning of said shaft in case a wheel of a passing vehicleshould wedge tightly against one side of the switch 0.

b in Fig. 6 is a slot that permitsthe upturned end of rod 0 to move.laterally. of the rails A and B when the switch is thrown in eitherdirection. v

O in Figs. 2 and 3 isaportion of the front platform of a street car, ando is a hanger depending therefrom,a hook-shaped trip or grab 1? beingpivoted to said hanger and having one end of a treadle Q connected toit.

, R is a spring that so elevates the treadle Q as to maintain the freeend of the trip asuitable distance above the track.

S in Fig. 5 is one of the front wheels of a car.

When all the operative parts of my switch mechanism are in their normalpositions, they are disposed as seen in 1, 2, and 1t, reference to whichillustrations shows that the switch 0 is now so set as to keep the maintrack open and prevent cars being run over on the siding or branch l3l3". Again, it will be noticed that the starter-plate I is n owcompletely housed within the mortise 7t and is almost entirely concealedby the flap .I; also, it will be observed that the tread-plate M iscompletely housed within the mortise a.

If a car should approach the switch in the direction of the arrow shownin Fig. 2 and it should be desired to run straight forward on'the maintrack, the driver or other attendant on the front platform pays noattention to the trip I and simply permits it to remain in its elevatedor inoperative position; but if itshould be desired to run a car overonto the side track, the aforesaid attendant depresses the treadle Q atthe proper moment, so as to cause the free end of the trip to swing downand traverse the longitudinal groove 7r of the third rail II.Consequently this groove so guides said trip as to compel its hooked endto enter the notch i of plate I and swing the latter over in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. This swinging motion of theplate causes the flap .I to turn up to the vertical position indicatedby the dotted lines in said illustration, therounded endj of said flapenabling it to smoothly clear the advancing trip. Now as the plates I Mare rigidly united to the main shaft G it is evident this turning up ofthe plate I will cause the other plate Ill to travel simultaneously withit. Therefore by the time the plateI has reached a perpendicularposition the plate M will also be vertical, as shownin Fig. Again, thismotion of plate I effects a limited turning of shafts G D and merelystarts the throwing of the switch C toward the rail A; but about theinstant said plate reaches a ver tical position the trip is disengagedfrom it, and for this reason some other means must be provided forcompleting the setting of the switch. This final setting is effected bythe tread of car-wheel S coming in contact with the plate M, assuggested in Fig. 5, thereby forcibly swinging said plate over in thedirection of the arrow and retaining the switch in contact with the mainrail A. Hence itis evident the momentum of the car is utilized in thefinal throwing of the switch, thereby relieving the trip of this severeduty,which frequently requires considerable power, especially when therails are covered with thick snow and ice. As the tread-plate M is thusforced down to a horizontal position the starter-plate I is also broughtto a horizontal position, and its notch i is now in line with the groove7L and ready to be caught bya car trip or grab. Again, as these plateshave described one-half of a circle, it is evident the shafts D G havealso made a half-turn in their bearings. to be run in on the side tracksno manipulation of the switch is necessary; but if said ear is tocontinue along the main track the trip is again operated as previously describcd, the result being to cause the shafts I) G to complete theirrevolutions and restore the switch to its normal position. Finally, inthe drawings the stringers, crossties, and the covers for the shafts,gears, 85c, have been omitted for the purpose of rendering the mechanismmore distinct; but it is to be understood that the third rail or beam ifand flap J are the only parts exposed to the wear and tear of streettraffic.

I claim as my invention- 1. A switch mechanismincluding a main shaftprovided with starter amltread plates, and a counter-shaft geared tosaid main shaft and coupled to the switch proper, said starterplatebeing adapted to be operated by a cartrip, substantially as hereindescribed, and for the purpose stated.

2. A switch mechanism including a main shaft G, provided with atread-plate ill, and starter-plate I, notched at i, 1.", a mortiscd andlongitudinally-groovcd third rail ll 71. 7t, within which mortise 71/,said plate I 'II t" is fitted, a flap J that covers this plate, acounter-shaft D (l, a rod 0 that couples said shaft to the switch C, aspring I, for retaining said flap in its closed position, and bevelgearsF, E, for communicating motion from said main shaft to saidcounter-shaft, all as herein described, and for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Vitn esses:

Janus ii. LAYMAN, Jena (,1. toonns.

lhereforc if the next car is'

